Newbury 12.25 tips – Noir a real dark horse

Friday’s offering at Newbury is just about the most perfect jumps card you will see at around this time of year – and it’s chock-full of betting opportunities.

So, instead of putting up the usual two or three to back on here, I’m going to have a crack at each of the seven races, starting with the opening juvenile hurdle (12.25pm) which features a whole host of promising horses from the big stables.

I see that Paul Nicholls’ Copain De Classe is forecast to go off favourite, but his price is no doubt heavily influenced by his powerful connections and he could be one to take on. He’s clearly talented and won his only bumper start at Vichy in France, before joining Nicholls. However, the trainer describes him as a “big chasing sort, not a Triumph Hurdle type in any shape or form”, and he might be vulnerable first time out over the minimum trip.

Dan Skelton can do little wrong right now and he saddles an interesting type in KASAKH NOIR, who is also a recruit from French bumpers. He won on his second start in that sphere, quickening up nicely to score by eight lengths, and there is enough flat speed in his pedigree – his dam is by Singspiel – to suggest he can be effective at this trip. He’s likely been aimed at this meeting and with his stable going great guns, he could represent some value.